Human Resources Specialist
About The Position
The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara is seeking a highly organized, detail-oriented, and service-minded Human Resources Specialist to support a wide range of human resources programs and services. Under the direction of the Human Resources Manager, this position performs paraprofessional and advanced technical HR duties related to recruitment, employee relations, benefits administration, leave of absence management, HRIS administration, reporting, and confidential recordkeeping. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced HR professional who enjoys managing detailed processes, supporting employees and supervisors, and working in a fast-paced public agency environment. The ideal candidate will be proactive, accurate, dependable, and comfortable handling multiple priorities while maintaining confidentiality and providing excellent customer service.
Requirements
- Knowledge of human resources principles and practices.
- Knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local laws related to workers’ compensation, ACA, and benefits administration.
- Knowledge of pre-employment and orientation processes.
- Proficiency in ADP Workforce Now.
- Knowledge of business writing.
- Excellent customer service practices.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality.
- Ability to coordinate employee orientation.
- Ability to assist with benefits enrollment.
- Ability to process reports and personnel action forms.
- Ability to coordinate recruitment exams and interviews.
- Ability to prepare and proofread documents.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities.
- Ability to work with minimal supervision.
- Ability to communicate clearly and professionally.
- Bachelor's or associate degree from an accredited college or university in human resources management, public administration, psychology, or a related field.
- Five years of progressive human resources experience.
- Proficiency in ADP Workforce Now.
- Must be able to obtain SHRM-CP certification within six months of employment.
Nice To Haves
- Public agency HR experience is a plus.
- SHRM-CP certification is preferred.
Responsibilities
- Administer and track employee leaves of absence, including FMLA, CFRA, ADA, Pregnancy Disability Leave, and other agency-specific leave programs.
- Ensure timely communication with employees and supervisors regarding leaves of absence.
- Maintain accurate documentation and update HRIS records for leaves of absence.
- Coordinate reasonable accommodation requests and support the interactive process.
- Assist with workers’ compensation claim submissions.
- Respond to requests for information related to leaves and accommodations.
- Support return-to-work and light duty processes.
- Manage the Agency’s HRIS platform (ADP Workforce Now), including setup, implementation, maintenance, troubleshooting, data integrity, user support, and process improvement.
- Manage HRIS data for internal and external reporting needs, including payroll-related reports, audit inquiries, RFP data requests, and ad-hoc information needs.
- Support full-cycle recruitment activities, including job requisition creation, application pre-screening, proctoring skills assessments, conducting background checks, preparing preliminary offer letters, coordinating interview schedules, and supporting recruitment timelines.
- Coordinate pre-hire and onboarding logistics, including scheduling orientation, ensuring necessary equipment and system access are ready, and confirming onboarding task completion.
- Assist with employee benefit programs, processing new hire enrollments, entering enrollment changes, supporting annual open enrollment, and managing qualifying event changes.
- Respond to employee benefit inquiries and maintain accurate and confidential benefits data in the HRIS.
- Provide customer service to employees.
- Support positive employee relations.
- Respond to general HR inquiries.
- Prepare correspondence and reports.
- Assist with administrative decision-making.
- Provide clerical and project support to the Human Resources department.
Benefits
- 100% employer paid life policy worth 1-1/2 times the employee’s annual salary
- Company paid retirement contribution of 12.5% of salary
- Employer match up to 5% of salary in the voluntary 457 tax-deferred or ROTH retirement plan
- Company paid Long Term Disability coverage for the employee
- Voluntary medical, dental, and vision group insurance
- Flexible Spending Account employer match up to the IRS limit
- Step Salary Advancement: Salary advancement upon completing the provisional period and at one-year intervals thereafter.
- Vacation Leave: Accrued at 12-24 working days per year based on years of service.
- Sick Leave: Accrued at 12 working days per year.
- Holidays: Thirteen paid holidays per year.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
Associate degree
